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Good practice Imported

South Korea's Public Sector Gender Representation Enhancement Plan (3rd Plan, 2023–2027)

South Korea · Seoul · See the South Korea profile · See the Seoul profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 45% 74/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

South Korea's rolling 5-year gender representation plans delivered measurable results: female Grade-4-plus civil servants rose from 15.6% (2018) to 30.8% (2023), exceeding the 30% target ahead of schedule; the women-leaders database grew from 47,068 to 157,886.

15.6% to 30.8%
Female Grade-4-plus national civil servants (2018-2023)
6.7% to 11.7%
Female high-ranking officials (2018-2023)
14.8% to 28.4%
Female Grade-5+ local managers (2017-2023)
47,068 to 157,886
Women Leaders Database registrants (2018-2023)
16.3 %
Women's share of senior positions in the broader economy (2023)
South Korea's Public Sector Gender Representation Enhancement Plan (3rd Plan, 2023–2027)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Republic of Korea
Period
2013–2027
Keywords
government, public administration, gender equality, civil service, women leadership

Context

South Korea has run consecutive five-year Public Sector Gender Representation Enhancement Plans since 2013, coordinated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). The 3rd Plan (2023-2027) covers 12 policy areas spanning central and local government, public enterprises, universities, science institutions, military and police.

Objectives

To raise women's share of senior and mid-level public-sector positions and enforce gender-balance floors, including a rule that government advisory committees cannot be more than 60% one gender.

Activities

Ministries submit annual progress data that MOGEF reviews and publishes, enabling multi-year tracking across the 12 sectors; the plan is documented as OGP commitment KR0050 and is periodically reviewed by the CEDAW Committee.

Results

Between 2018 and 2023, female high-ranking officials rose from 6.7% to 11.7%; female Grade-4-plus national civil servants rose from 15.6% to 30.8%, surpassing the 2027 target ahead of schedule; female Grade-5+ local managers rose from 14.8% (2017) to 28.4% (2023); the Women Leaders Database grew from 47,068 to 157,886 registered women.

Conclusions

CEDAW's 2024 review praised these public-sector gains but flagged that women's representation in senior roles across the broader economy (16.3% in 2023) and in the National Assembly and private-sector boards remains far behind.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

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Data sources

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